They are the Prey And We are the Hunters
by Aussie-Dumbass
Summary: After the attack on Shiganshia, Desmond Pixis follows in his father's footsteps to become a soldier. He has a genius mind, and invents a brand new weapon for eliminating Titans with zero casualties. He forms his own army that rivals even the Military Police and Scouting Legion in skill, and takes the fight to the Titans...
1. Chapter 1: Humble Beginings

_I was there when it all started. I was there when they broke down the Wall, and I vowed to be there when we drove them back into the fiery pits of hell they came from. My destiny was lain before me since I was pushed out of my mother's womb, and I will fight for every man, woman, and child who live in fear of those monsters!_

 _My name is Desmond Pixis, and this is my story…_

The year is 845, late summer. The Pixis family have moved into their home in the Shiganshia District. Though they also had a home in Trost, Commander Pixis believed that it raised the morale of the people, seeing the commander live among them.

"Desmond, where are you?" A young voice called out. The name owner chuckled, and slid further into his hiding hole. It was a pleasant day, the sun was out, and people were enjoying their day. And a boy with scruffy red hair poked his head around the bend before skulking into the alley. "Come on, you're way better at this then I am!"

"Yeah," another voice rang out, another voice, almost identical cried, joining the first one. "Father wants us back at the house!" Desmond wasn't going to fall for their tricks, and he looked up at the rooftops. A soldier was sitting on the roof, chomping on a slice of dried meat. "Hey Seamus, have you seen Desmond?"  
"Mason and James?" Seamus, the Garrison Regiment captain looked down at his younger brothers. "What're you doing out in this area! Mother told you not to come around the south wing!"

"We're looking for Desmond" Mason said, trying to blame it on the second of the four brothers. "Have you seen him?" Seamus was sitting right above the hiding brother, who looked at him and shook his head, quickly signing to him to tell them he was elsewhere.

"Um… yeah, I saw him earlier," Seamus nodded, pointing back towards the north of Shiganshia. "He was on his way to deliver a note to Dr. Jaegar of father, then he was heading home. If you hurry you'll catch him!" The boys thanked the soldier and ran of, back home. Seamus tutted and jumped down into the alley, and helped his younger up from barrels he was sandwiched behind. "Desmond, what're you doing? If dad caught you out here, he'd have a fit!"

"No he wouldn't!" Desmond protested childishly. "I'm just getting some exercise!" Seamus looked at his brother and nodded suspiciously.

"Which is why you're wearing that custom Three Dimensional Gear you got for your birthday last year?" On his tenth birthday, Desmond received a set of Three Dimensional Gear that was customized to his small body. Though both the set and wearer weren't fit for fighting titans, Desmond used it often, training to follow in his father's and older brother's shoes.

"I stole their sweet rolls and made a run for it," Desmond admitted with no shame, causing his older brother to laugh.

"Father would be proud that you're learning so fast. Why don't you cone with me on my patrol?" Seamus and Desmond walked out onto the street, sharing the stolen treats together.

"Has Father said when we can go back to Trost?"

"Our father, the Commander, said that we'd leave in a few months," Seamus answered, noticing how the civilians gave both of them looks. Desmond because of the fact he was a child in a soldier's attire, and how they both looked like Commander Pixis, and walked with his authority. "Though I'm staying here for a while. My squad was stationed here. I kinda like it here more. It feels like I'm on the front line of the battle…" Desmond looked at him with admiration, and also like he was crazy.

"But titans are scary, who'd want to fight them up close?" Desmond asked, but they both knew the answer. No one did, even though it was the most successful way of killing them, despite the human casualties.

"Anyway, I thought you liked it here, you've got those friends of yours. What're their names? Aaron, Albert and Marrisa?"

"It's Eren, Armin and Mikasa," Desmond corrected. "And they're pretty cool. Better than those pompous pricks from Trost, like Jean…" This made his older brother burst out laughing, needing to stop and actually collect himself.

"Baby brother, you're gonna be a commander one day, and you'll probably have to work with people like that, or even end up like that!"

"If that day ever comes, please throw me of the Wall…"

Later that afternoon, Desmond found his three friends playing by the river, reading a book.

"And there's a huge lake that's bigger than the land canned an ocean!" Armin said excitedly. "And the water is made of salt!"

"That's impossible," Eren dismissed, whilst Mikasa sat and watched on. "If there was such a thing, people would've used it all up by now!"

"But that's the thing, it never runs out!" It was at that moment that Desmond chose to approach them, looking over their shoulders.

"A book on the outside world? You know that's illegal…" All three of them turned around in surprise and shock.

"I-it's nothing!" Armin held the book closely to his chest, hiding it from view.

"Relax, I'm not going to report it. I came to bring you these." He handed them a small bag, and sat down next to Armin, his ODM gear at his house and put away.

"Wow, sweet rolls!" Eren gasped, taking one out and biting into it. "It's delicious! How'd you get these?"

"His father is Commander Pixis," Mikasa mumbled, nibbling on her own. "He can get just about anything." Desmond nodded simply, trying to play down his father's rank. Eren and Armin were shocked by that news though. They thought he was just another kid from Shiganshia, despite the fact that every six months he left for Trost and stayed there.

"You're seriously the Commander's son? That's incredible!" Eren said, pushing past Armin so he could get closer to the newcomer. "Does that mean you're going to join the military?"

"I don't really have a choice in the matter," Desmond admitted, lying back and staring at the sky. "My older brother Seamus is already the leader of the garrisoned troops in Shiganshia, so I don't have much choice."

"When I get older, I'm going to join the Scouting Legion!" Eren announced, smiling happily at the thought. "So I can see all the nice places in this book!"

"Wherever he goes, I go…" Mikasa mumbled, looking down into the river. "That is all that matters…" Desmond and Armin couldn't help but give each other a concerned look. Mikasa was always like this with Eren, and they both knew of the trauma she suffered underneath her calm exterior.

"I-I'm sure that he'll be alright, really!" Desmond laughed awkwardly, trying hard not to mess up. He was a social outcast, and had few friends, so he always worried about making himself look stupid. "What about you, Armin? Do you have any idea what you want to do?"

"My grandfather is a merchant, so I want to do lawn the trade too, although it isn't as impressive as the Scouts…"

"Nonsense, a merchant is just as important! Who do you think is able to supply the military with the supplies it needs to operate? Merchants! Who delivers food and other stuff to all of the towns? Merchants! Who pays for a majority of the militaries efforts? The merchants!" Desmond slumped back, staring up at the clouds drift by and over Wall Maria. "The way I see things, is that we're all part of a giant tribe, like a big pack of wolves! And we all have different roles: Some of us are the providers, like the hunters and farmers. Some of us are the caretakers, like Dr. Jaegar and Commander Pixis. While we're… we're the…"

"The next generation of soldiers to protect the rest!" Eren grinned. Clenching a triumphant fist.

"Yes, you could say that!" Desmond chuckled, clenching his own, weaker fist. "One day, we'll make it to the very top, you'll see!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Face above the Wall

They are the Prey and We are the Hunters Chapter 2

The candlelight flickered, the light in the room fluctuating despite the small fire burning in the corner.

"Hm... What can be done about this?" Desmond mumbled, looking through the papers. On the table in front of him was blueprints, drawings and his own set of the ODM Gear, as well as several reports of the many expeditions by the Survey Corps. The clacking of boots coming down stairs alerted him that someone else was coming.

"Son, what're you doing up this late?" Dot Pixis asked, holding a candle and looking tired. "It's past midnight!"

"I know father, but I've been looking over the blueprints on the Third Dimensional Manoeuvring Gear, and I've noticed some things that can be improved. Come," Commander Pixis was always fond of Desmond and his creativity. His son was always looking at ways to improve on things, especially when it came to killing Titans.

"Your last idea of the metal plate on the back was a great one, let's see what you've got!" Desmond grinned, always eager for his father's praise.

"Look at how the straps for absorbing the G-Force are wrapped around the ankles. I was reading the reports from the Scouting Legion and their casualty statistics."

"Son, you know those are confidential!" Pixis tutted, before chuckling. In all honesty he was glad that his son had the initiative to look into things like that. "What happened to the days when you were reading folk tales with Mason and James?"

"We're at war father. We need to preserve as many lives as possible. And after looking at the reports, I've found a common phenomenon in both living and killed soldiers. A lot of them are having ankle problems, even reporting broken ankles, making it impossible for them to work."

"So what's the solution?"

"Well, what if we change the location of the straps? I've tried it on my own, and Seamus and some of his squad's ODM gear, by turning several wrappings of cloth around the ankle into one large one that goes around the foot!" Pixis fiddled with his moustache, humming in thought.

"What were the results?"

"Much more comfort. The squad reported no more problems with G-Force and discomfort!" Pixis stared at his young child.

"Desmond, you're not even twelve, and you've revolutionized the way we fight!" Pixis slapped him on the shoulder encouragingly. "I'll take this to the board as soon as I can!"

"What if we use a more reinforcing material than cloth? Perhaps metal? No, that'd make them too bottom-heavy and unstable. Silk? Too expensive… Perhaps hessian? No no no, too uncomfortable, and wares under stress. Maybe leather, though we'd need to increase funding to cattle farmers…" Commander Pixis couldn't help but smile, watching his son's incredible mind turn at a rapid pace, thinking of new ideas to help his people.

"I'll organise my speech tomorrow, and I'll discuss the new material too. You've done well Dess, now head to sleep or your mother will have a fit!" The boy yawned and nodded, not wanting to face her wrath…

It was the next day, and Desmond was bored. He'd spent the morning helping his mother with chores, and he'd already completed well into nets week's homework assignments, Commander Pixis was adamant that his children were tutored, and his father had gathered up all his recant schematics and planning's for improvements to the ODM gear and other devices already in use by society.

"I'm bored," Desmond sighed, leaning against the railing of the veranda.

"Baby brother, what's wrong?" Seamus looked down at him, squatting next to his sibling.

"I'm not a baby anymore Seamus, I'm 11 years old." This only was countered with a condescending chuckle from his brother.

"In my eyes, you, and Mason, and James will always be my baby brothers. Have you finished your chores?" Desmond nodded, pushing his short, brown hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, Father said he was going to take all of my blueprints and show them to the Council and the Generalissimo, so I have nothing to do."

"Want to have a race?"

"But you always beat me, your legs are so much longer!"

"Not on foot, ODM."

"But… today's your day off, and you'll get into a ton of trouble of we do that! I still need to look good so I can get accepted into the Academy when I'm older." Seamus pondered this, putting his hand on his chin.  
"We could just call it early training? As long as no one gets hurt, it should be fine!"

Later at the barracks, they filled their tanks up with gas and stepped outside.

"This is your day of, you sire you want to spend it in your uniform and with me? Wouldn't you rather have a night of debauchery?"

"Maybe, but I've got a bad feeling about today. You might not have heard, but in the last few months, there's been almost a migration of titans moving south to Shiganshia. Quinta district and the others haven't seen any titan activity in months. To be honest, I'm worried."

"I doubt there's anything to worry about, Shay! How about we race to the south gate and climb the wall, see if there's anything out there?" It was an idea that made them both grin excitedly. Seamus had only been up there once, and Desmond dreamed of walking at the top, seeing what was outside the walls.

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a er… a RACE YOU!" He suddenly launched his cables and leapt away. Desmond shouted profanities about cheating and was hot on his heels. They sprinted across rooftops and flew over the streets, much to the confusion of the civilians. Seamus was faster, but Desmond's lighter body allowed him to be able to make much tighter turns and stop and rebound of buildings.

"I thought you were supposed to be good at this!" Desmond teased, taking the lead. "Aren't you a captain or something'?"

"Oh, shut up you little shit!" Seamus grumbled, both of them arriving at Wall Maria's gate into the wilderness beyond. "You got enough gas to climb her?"

"Yeah, I don't think I'm man enough to do that. Let's just take the elevator…"

The wind whipped past Desmond's ears, chilling him, despite his leather half coat.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Seamus mumbled, looking out over Shiganshia.

"It's so peaceful up here…" Desmond gasped in awe. "All the people look like tiny ants up here!" Desmond then turned around, looking at the expanse of land behind him. "Woah, is that-?"

"The land beyond the Walls? Yes," They both sat on the edge of the Wall, their feet dangling over the edge. "It just goes on and on forever…"

"What's that giant lake over there I can see?" Desmond pointed to a large body of water on the horizon, barely noticeable. "Is that an ocean?"

"An ocean? What's that?"

"It's a giant lake that's bigger than the land, and the water is made of salt!" This caused Seamus to laugh, and he patted his brother on the back.

"Sounds crazy if you ask me, but I'll play along. Hey, you see those things coming out of the forest?" Seamus pointed to two giant humanoids, one with a giant head, and the other miniscule, tiny arms. The beings slowly started walking towards the Wall, and started scratching at it, as if wanting to scale it.

"Titans… fuck me, they're hideous!"

"Language, brother. Although yes, they are pretty ugly. I'd say that's a 15 metre and a 6 meter class."

"You can tell from this far?"

"Part of the training, you need to be able to identify the opponent quickly." Desmond, keen to compete, looked towards the forest again.

"I can see three more titans coming out. A 7 metre, a 12, and a…4 metre class?" They waited for the titans to emerge from the woods, and Seamus whistled in admiration.

"You have fine eyes. You'll do well. C'mon, let's head down, refill these and see what Eren and the others are up to."

After they'd taken the lift back down to ground, and refiled their gas tanks, Seamus and Desmond went their separate ways. Desmond decided to go see what Armin was up to, and if he wanted to maybe come have dinner at his place. He was fond of him, they both were very smart, and not as physically adept as the others.

"Should be a cool night, don't you think?" Armin chatted as him, Desmond, Eren and Mikasa strolled the streets. "Let's hope that it won't frost tonight.

"It's summer, of course it won't," Mikasa said, trying to hold Eren back, who was dumbstruck by Desmond's ODM gear.

"This is so cool!" Eren beamed, rapping his knuckles on the gas tanks. "Does it work?" Desmond nodded, pulling out one of the handles and giving the bottom button a squeeze, making a puff of gas eject into his friend. This only made Eren smile more, and try harder at fiddling. "You've even got the blades! Have you ever killed a titan?"

"No, why would I?" Desmond chuckled. "I'm just a kid with a cool setup, not a member of the Garrison, or anything!" Suddenly, the deafening clap of lightning exploded, followed by a huge flash of light.

"What… is… that?" Armin stuttered, looking towards Wall Maria.

"Looks like I'm gonna be using these afterall…" Desmond muttered, drawing his blades as he turned to see a huge red head loom over Wall Maria…


	3. Chapter 3: Escape from Shiganshia

After about thirty seconds of everyone gawking at the giant head, a gale-force wind burst through the streets, deafening everyone around. Desmond shut his eyes tight and covered his ears.

' _It's all a dream,'_ Desmond desperately mumbled to himself. _'This is all just a dream!'_ When his eyes opened, what faced him was a nightmare. Windows of houses were shattered, roofs swept of, debris everywhere. The man who was standing next to him, was crushed by a boulder, his blood covering the boy, causing him to start to hyperventilate.

"The titans are getting in!" Someone screamed, and everyone went into a frenzy.

"Mum was in the house!" Eren shouted. "We've gotta save her!" Eren ran of down the street towards the hole, followed by Mikasa as the first of the giant humanoids started crawling through the breach in the wall.

"Eren, wait!" Armin went to follow them, but was stopped.

"Armin no! They'll be fine!" Desmond assured him, his father's leadership skills kicking in. "I'll send someone to get them all out of there safely. You go get your grandfather and meet me at my house, hurry!" Armin nodded and went of, pushing through the crowds. Desmond was too short to be noticed, so he cabled up to the nearest rooftop so he could be heard. "Everyone stay calm! We're going to evacuate you all safely! Make it to the Wall Maria gate to the gondolas! You there, soldier!" He pointed to a member of the Stationary Troops who was frantically adjusting his gear. "Name and rank!"

"Just who do you think you are, kid?" The man sneered.

"The son of Commander Pixis, I'm helping the evacuation. Name and rank!"

"Why you… Private Hannes!"

"Hannes, Eren and Mikasa have gone over to their house to get their mother. Their heading straight for the titans! I need you to get them all to my house safely. Got it?" Hannes nodded and launched himself away to his objective. Desmond turned and ran towards the Wall Maria gate, and his house.

' _I need to get my family out of there safely.'_ Was all that buzzed in his head. _'Father has all my blueprints, so I only need to worry about Ma, James, and Mason! Commander and Seamus will be evacuating the citizens, so they'll meet us at the gate later!'_ As Desmond zoomed towards his house, he couldn't help but notice the hell that was unravelling below. Children were being trampled, people half crushed by boulders, desperately clawing for their freedom. It pained Desmond that he couldn't save them, but his family took priority over everyone else.

"James," Desmond cried, landing nearby and sprinting to his shaken brother. "Where are Ma and Mason?"

"Th-there down the street. Ma won't leave and Mason's trying to get her out of here but she wants to help the other people!"

"Did you see father? Did he have my blueprints?"

"What? I dunno, I haven't seen him since this morning when he left!" Commander Pixis had breakfast with them and left immediately after, not stopping back at home.

"So they're still inside… Damnit, wait here!" Desmond sheathed his blades and kicked open the door, running straight to the cellar downstairs where he liked to work. Of course, all of his work was where he left it. "Oooh, what to take?" There were so many things that he and Seamus had been working on, things to improve farming, medicine, food and water storage, titan combat, the list went on. All of these things wee beneficial to humanity one way or another. Desmond ran to hid father's very extensive collection of wine threw the contents of a couple of crates out, the glass smashing on the floor. Desmond stuffed the two crates with plans and schematics and lugged them upstairs.

"Desmond!" A shrill screech filled the air. "Help! They've got them!" Desmond ran outside, to be met with the sight of Mason and his mother in the clutches of two titans…

Desmond dropped the crates and drew his blades, and raced forward. He had to save them both, or die trying. The blades that Commander Pixis had given Desmond with the special ODM Gear were decorative, not meant for killing titans. A 4 metre and a 6 metre class titan, both holding people dear to him, being help back only by their dumb wit and the fact that Mason and Ma were fighting as hard as they could to resist.

"One metre down, ten centimetres across…" He mumbled, shooting a cable into the wall behind the titan holding his mother. "DON'T YOU TOUCH THEM!" Both of them were screaming and protesting as the beasts looked at them with their beady eyes. His blades dug into the flesh of the back of the neck, and the titan slumped back, dropping Ma. Desmond then kicked of the wall and planted his foot into the 6 metre class' face, making his teeth miss this mark.

"Leave my brother alone!" the boy slashed at the titan's wrists, causing the titan to roar in pain and release his younger brother. Desmond picked his mother of her feet and pushed them back to the house. "Are you two alright?"  
"I'm alright," Ma mumbled, looking pale and faint. "I think I broke a rib." Mason was deadly quiet, a distant look on his face. "It's… getting back up…" They turned to see the 4 metre slowly start to stand, steam gushing from his wound.

"Shit, Why's he still alive?" Desmond looked at his two younger brothers, mother, and Armin, who had just turned into the street and ran too the house with his grandfather. "Armin, make sure they get to the gate, I'll hold these guys off!" in truth, if Desmond hadn't gone to the toilet an hour earlier, he'd be shitting himself right now. The two titans were approaching the boy, intent on eating him as vengeance for harming them. The blades trembled in his hands, yet Desmond remained defiant. 6 metre reached out his hand to snatch him up, and was met with a blade cutting at his fingers.

"Desmond!" A voice shouted, and something dropped down beside him.

"Father!" Desmond sighed in relief, seeing the Commander.

"I won't ask you to fight them, but I'd like some help killing the beasts that touched my family!" Commander Pixis then charged at the two titans, followed by his son. Pixis quickly shot around the 6 metre's neck and cut out his nape. His son, on the other hand, was having trouble.

"H-how do I eject the blades?" Desmond shouted, having stabbed them into 4 metre's eyes, whilst kicking away it's bony fingers.

"The guard on the handle!" Desmond ejected the blades and backed away, before drawing another set. This wasn't needed, and Pixis finished him of with ease.

"That was good work son," He panted, patting his son on the head.

"I-I don't understand! I cut the nape like it said in the book!"

"You need to cat the nape _out_ , not just slash it. I didn't expect you to need to that for many years. Come on, let's escape."

Soon, Hannes and Seamus brought Eren and Mikasa to the Pixis' house, and they all escaped to the Wall Maria gate together. The Pixis family were shoved into a carriage and escorted to safety, and Pixis ensured that Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and his grandfather all got spots on the last gondola.

"Everything should be okay now, right?" James asked, looking at his mother, who was staring blankly out at the hundreds of civilians at the docks.

"I'm not sure honey… I'm not sure…" Wall Maria's gate then erupted, debris and rock flying in all directions.

"What was that!?" Desmond asked, opening the door and looking out. "Oh… Sweet Jesus help us…" Wall Maria had been broken, and the titans were inside human territory. "It's the beginning of the end…"


	4. Chapter 4: Aftermath

The resulting months after the attack were catastrophic, to say in he least. Hundreds of thousands of people died, either by the titans, starvation, freezing to death, or disease. The Pixis household also suffered a heavy loss. The titan that grabbed Desmond's mother had actually bitten into her, and the wound became infected. Her fever killed her in the night, and Desmond had to pick up on what she left behind, looking after his younger brothers, and helping the less fortunate. Though as soon as they were behind Trost's walls, the Engineer's Guild immediately got their hands on Desmond so that he could help invent things for them to help with the massive flow of people fighting the titans.

"So how's your family?" Eren asked, slumping against the wall.

"Not well," Desmond answered, holding the basket in his arms close. He knew his friends were starving, barely surviving with the rations provided, so he did his best to save food up and give them what scraps he could. "Seamus got promoted to captain, and otherwise nothing much else,"

"I heard a rumour your father became an alcoholic," Mikasa mumbled. "That's not a good thing for someone of his command…"

"He's taken the loss of Ma pretty hard."

"Oh no," Armin gasped. "I'm so sorry! When did she-?"

"A couple of months ago. Remember how that titan grabbed her? She got bit, and the wound got infected." Armin subtly nodded, remembering that traumatic moment.

.

"I can't do this," Eren grumbled, sitting on the banister, the bruising from his recent beating starting to swell. "I'm going back to Wall Maria! The titans have to pay for what they've done to us…"

"Hey now, you're not serious." Armin smiled, trying to talk sense into Yaegar. "That's just your stomach talking!"

"No it's not!" Eren shouted, hopping up and pushing him back. Desmond and Mikasa gave each other a look as if to say " _Here we go again…"_

"Wake up, the guys standing between us and them are just a bunch of talk!" He pulled the bread that Desmond have given him from his pocket and threw it at Desmond. "To hell with all of them, here! I'm going back!"

"What are you trying to do, starve?" Armin gasped.

"I went hungry to give you this, Eren. Show some courtesy!" Desmond tutted. "I know it's shit here, but you gotta eat."

"When are you gonna get sick of their charity, huh? Too much is just handed to us, we need to stand on our own too feet!"

"To do what, get killed by a titan!?" Armin snapped, having had enough of this.

"Guys, let's all just-" Desmond started, before Mikasa put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"They need to let this out," She mumbled. "Just let it happen."

"-But it's like you told that man, I've never seen what they can do to us!"

"So that's it!?" Eren shouted back, clenching his fists in fury. "This is just the way life is? Run away and take what we're given?"

"Look at us, what choice do we have here?"

"We can damn well leave! If you want to scrape by on the charity of cowards that's your thing! But I'm not a parasite!" Armin gasped, speechless. Mikasa stepped in and punched Eren square in the cheek. Eren grunted in surprise, before falling with a thud.

"Ouch…" Desmond chuckled. "That's gonna leave a mark. You okay, Armin?" His response was a tiny one, only mumbling Mikasa's name as Desmond knelt beside Eren to help him up.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" She asked. "All of us are parasites, we couldn't run from certain death without help! Tell me differently, don't take your shortcomings out on him. For God's sake, we can't even find food on our own!

"Mika, I don't think that's fair to say. The titan's are-"

"The titans are on the top of the food chain, period. Pride be damned, we do what we must to live."

"Enough!" Desmond shouted, breaking his calm exterior. "This is madness, us doing this." He snatched the roll from Armin and stuffed it into Eren's mouth. "Eat. Your mother would want you to survive, not starve!" Of course he choked, and resisted, but Desmond kept forcing until he submitted and ate, tears welling in his eyes. "Armin, Mikasa. Grab your belongings. I'm sick of watching you all suffer here."

"What are you going to do?" Armin asked.

"You're moving in with me. Our house has some spare rooms, and I hate watching my friends live like this!"

.

.

 _Weeks had passed since Desmond's friends moved into the house. Mason and James took to them like family, and Seamus was civil enough, despite not being around because of work. Commander Pixis was never around, going to the capitol and Wall Sina to help bolter their defences in case of another attack. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa were sent to farm and plough the wastelands as a last-ditch effort to raise food, but the cold hard ground yielded nothing. And in 846, the following year, all of the refugees who were old enough to serve in the military were tasked with reclaiming Wall Maria._

 _._

"No, you can't go!" Mason sobbed, holding onto Seamus' side. "Please don't go!"

"I have no choice," Seamus sighed, hugging his brother closely. "They need all of the captains in Trost to help lead the counterattack."

"But you'll be killed!" James protested, pulling him away from the door. "The titans will crush you!"

"You doubt your big brothers skill?" Seamus chuckled, rubbing his hair. "I'm the son of Commander Pixis! We'll beat those titans back!"

"Are you sure you want to go?" Commander Pixis asked, looking gravely at his son. "You don't have to go. I can get you out of this suicide-"

"It's not a suicide mission! As long as there are people to fight for, our deaths aren't in vain! I'm going whether you want me to or not."

"But Shay," Desmon finally croaked, on the verge of tears. "What about our inventions?"

"C'mon, Des! Is my baby brother that reliant on me?" A knock on the door signalled it was tome to go. He shook of his screaming brothers, the commander holding them back as Seamus mounted his horse and rode of…

.

 _Of the two hundred and fifty thousand sent, nearly twenty percent of the surviving population, not even two hundred made it back. While it did nothing to drive back the titans, their sacrifice did at least lessen the effects of famine within the interior._

 _._

"I heard that your grandfather got conscripted. I'm so sorry." Desmond mumbled, sitting next to a crying arming, holding his grandfather's hat. "This probably won't make much of a difference, but he was on the list of people who were to be used only in an emergency. I personally made sure he was in the rear guard, and with the senior officers." Armin nodded, thanking his friend for that news, despite the futility of bringing his relative back.

"What about Seamus?" Mikasa asked, looking sadly at him. "You said he volunteered to lead the troops?"

"Yeah, he was in the reserves, leading Armin's pa actually. Shay was one of the lucky ones who made it back…"

"We have to find a way to stop them," Eren said, doing nothing to comfort his friends. "Our lives will never be our own until we do. This world will never feel like home.." He slumped against the wall of the Pixis' house and flopped down next to Desmond. "That's it, next year I'll be applying to join the cadets." This surprised Armin and Desmond, yet Mikasa only sighed, and pushed her scarf higher on her face. "To become strong enough to fight back!"

"I'm with you," Armin mumbled, barely audible.

"No, you don't have to-"

"I do!"

"So do I." Mikasa piped up.

"Damnit, I'm not trying to drag you into this!" Eren rejected their offer. Desmond only watch quietly, analysing the situation. "There's no point in following me to my death!"

"Yeah, and if I can help it, it won't be your death."

"Too right," Desmond said. "I'm joining to. I'm sick of sitting in a room all day, saying that I'm helping humanity by thinking! I wanna kill some titans!" He gave them a comical grin, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Alright, together then." Mikasa's face was expressionless, yet Armin had a sense of hope about him.

"Next year, we fight to reclaim what's rightfully ours!"


	5. Chapter 5: Cadet Initiation

"Straighten those spines, pissheads!" The fear inducing voice boomed over the scorching summer heat. "The hundred and fourth cadet boot camp starts now!" A bald, aging man with narrowed eyes and a goatee stepped up onto a rise above the rest of the people. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Chief Instructor Keith Shadis, and you will grow to hate me!" The boy next to Desmond shifted awkwardly, starting to breath heavily.

"Just relax," Desmond mumbled. "He's all bark and no bite."

"Even barks can be scary…" Mason mumbled.

"Training is gonna be a white-knuckled ride through hell! If I've done my job right, you'll be waking up in a cold sweat from memories of this place, every night for the rest of your miserable lives!"

"Sounds more like a sweet dream to me." James smirked, on the other side of his older brother. Both James and Mason were two years younger than Desmond, but they lied about their age so that they could enrol.

"Right now you're nothing," Keith continued. "Livestock! But over the next three soul crushing years, you'll learn to take down your own Goliath! Remember this moment when you come face to face with him. Cuz here's where you ask yourself: Am I a fighter, or am I feed? Am I gonna be ground up to pulpy, human gristle between incisors, or am I gonna be the one to bite!?" Desmond's eyes were drilling into the instructor's own eyes as he talked. "Inspection time!" Instructor Shadis walked among the recruits, occasionally stopping and yelling at someone, trying to scare them into submission. When he came around to the row that the Pixis brothers were in, Mason visibly gulped in nervousness.

"Just stay calm, I'll handle this," Desmond mumbled, straightening his back and puffing out his chest.

"Now, what have we here?" Shadis glowered, bending down to look Mason in the eyes. "Looks like we got us a tiny newt! And his ugly brother over here too!" He pushed James, but he took it in stride. "You two maggots aren't even gonna make it past the first day!"

"I-i-I'm sorry!" Mason cried, immediately bowing apologetically.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy ripping a new hole into your backside!"

"Hey," Desmond snapped. "That's enough." Shadis looked almost surprised at the fact that a cadet was talking back to him, he stood on Desmond's toes and pushed his face into his, his breath reeking of ale.

"You must be their babysitter! What sorry excuse of a man did you three came from!?"

"Commander Dot Pixis," A smirk grew on Desmond's face as the Instructor, took a step back, looking as surprised as the other students. "Would you like me to tell him you said that, Keith?" Shadis glowered, obviously beaten by the initial shock.

"Don't act so high and mighty, or you'll end up on your ass! Name and place of origin!"

"Desmond Pixis. Shiganshia District."

"And why did you join the Cadets? Following in Daddy's footsteps?"

"That, and so I could finally fight titans, instead of making things to fight them." Instructor Shadis raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but grew tired of their chatter, and turned on James on Mason…

After their training on the first day, Desmond and James had gone to the armoury, and investigated if it was a suitable base of operations. The Engineers Guild was still expecting them to make things and invent, despite their training.

"So, you think that they'll let you fight, evne though you're inventing for them?"

"What I mean is what I said." Desmond grunted, moving some boxes of metal ingots away from a cold forge. "Father's expecting big things from me, and with our inventions, we're going to make something that'll make the MP's look like newbies!"

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD IS GOING ON HERE!?" A voice boomed from the door, making both brothers jump, though Desmond not so much as he dropped the box of metal bars of his foot. They both turned around to see Instructor Shadis standing there, putting Mason by the ear. "I found this whelk snooping around the buildings, and I find you two pisspots in here, without an instructor's supervision! Are you trying to get yourselves thrown out of the program?" Desmond smiled calmly at the veteran soldier, knowing that in his eyes, they were in deep shit. He reached onto his jacket pocket and pulled out two unopened letters, one bearing the seal of the Engineer's Guild, and the other the Garrison Regiment.

"Instructor Shadis, I was ordered to give you these letters. They are orders for me, James, and Mason to find a suitable workshop at the training camp, and for us to keep inventing things." The letters were snatched from his hands and read quickly, followed by several grunts from their recipient. He let go of Mason, who stumbled to James' side

"So you three are inventors, eh? What're some of the things that you've done?"

"Do you want the things that are used for titan fighting, or for civilians first?" James asked smugly, with a cocky grin on his face.

"Just the titan fighting, thank you." Shadis was unimpressed with James' attitude, but he let it slide, for now.

"The adaptation to the leg bindings on the ODM gear," Desmond started. "And then there's the metal plate on the back. Um… and we've recently been working on ways to help lessen the impacts of when the Colossal Titan break down the gates." Shadis grunted, not showing that he was actually very impressed with them.

"James, Mason. Out. I need to talk to Desmond." The twins nodded and left without a ward. When they were out of distance, Shadis leant up against a workbench, closing his eyes in thought.

"Is there anything I can do for-?"

"I know those two are underage," Shadis grumbled, opening his eyes and staring into Desmond's very soul. "Did you think you could really sneak in two runts that were two years younger than the limit?" Desmond's Adam's Apple rolled in his throat. He knew about this fact, but was afraid of what the correct response was.

"I know," he started nervously. "It was Commander Pixis' decision. I wanted them to wait a couple more years, but he wouldn't have it! I don't want them to die sir, please! There must be something you can do!" Instructor Shadis grunted in thought, closing his eyes again.

"I can only kick them out if they quit, or they fail the first cable test," he grumbled. "We're handing out the belts tonight. Do with theirs what you will."


	6. Chapter 6: A Secretariat

Desmond turned over in his bed, trying to find a way to sleep. He'd counted sheep in his head, deep breathing, nothing worked. Beside him, Mason slept soundly across from him, a calm and contented smile growing on his lips. No doubt his dream was a good one. Desmond threw off his blanket and snuck outside, quiet as a ghost. The crisp night sent shivers down his spine, and Desmond hugged his coat tighter. Over by the mess hall, he spied Bertold talking with Reiner and Annie, he ignored them, walking to the armoury and looking at the dark hut. Crickets were chirping in the tufts of grass that dotted the ring of dirt where they ran around every dawn.

"Trouble sleeping?" A voice said behind him. Desmond whipped around to find it was Jean Kirstein.

' _Just the person I wanted to see…'_ a voice in Desmond's head buzzed, full of sarcasm.

"Yeah, got a lot on my mind." he answered, closing the doors and leaning against them. "It's Mason and Desmond."

"They fighting or somethin'? Twins are always a pain in the ass!" Jean rested against the wall to, chewing on his nails.

"No, it's not that. It's their skills."

"James is great at almost everything he does, and Mason tries his hardest, nothin' to worry about!"

"That's my concern." Desmond admitted, kicking a loose stone around, watching it bounce around. "They're going to graduate from the Academy in no time, and probably join the Survey Corps." This caused Jean to chuckle to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I didn't know that they were suicidal freaks like Yaegar. You're scared they'll get eaten?"

"Exactly! There's no way they'd settle for the Garrison, or the Military Police. What to do…" they both sat in silence, Desmond mulling over the different predicted outcomes of what could possibly happen to his younger brothers. Jean on the other hand, was thinking about how he could get into Mikasa's panties.

"What if… what if they didn't have the opportunity to sit the examinations?" Desmond turned to the young man from Trost, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? How could they not sit the-" his eyes widened at the realisation of Kirstein's idea. "You don't mean…"

"You could sabotage their equipment, make sure that they fail the cables exam."

"No, absolutely not!" Desmond stood up and started pacing angrily about. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because they're part of House Pixis! We've been captains and commanders in all factions of the military since the Walls were built! To not join the military is shameful! They'd rather kill themselves than not serve!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"Thant's the thing, I don't _fucking_ know!" Desmond punched the doors with all his might and rage, and the door shuddered open, leaving blisters in his knuckles. "Unlike you, we've faced the titans before. I had to kill one to save Mason and my mother, and then she died anyway!" His outburst caused Annie, Bertold and Reiner to stop their hushed tones and look over in their direction. One of the instructors opened his door and shouted at them to be silent, before slamming his door even louder than Desmond shouted.

Jean had no intention of upsetting Desmond like this. In fact, he wanted his help with the cables. He was one of the best in the class, only Mikasa and Annie could compare to him. Though he was in a real dilemma. Desmond was responsible for his brothers. James would immediately sign up for the Survey Corps, and drag Mason along. If that happened, they'd be titan chow.

"You're an inventor, right? Why don't you just build something?"

* * *

"What's the matter, Yaegar? Can't stand up straight!?" Instructor Shadis roared at the boy who was currently hanging upside down. The 104th Trainees Squad were on their last day of training before the cables test. Some of the recruits had taken an immediate liking to it. Mikasa and Annie had no trouble. Some on the other hand, like Eren and Connie, struggled. "Get down and let someone else try." Eren was glowering as he was unstrapped and moved to the back of the line. Shadis looked over the squad, at who hadn't tried out. "Pixis, Mason." Mason looked around nervously before approaching the apparatus. As the gears turned and Mason began to rise, Desmond could see his hips swaying from side to side sloppily. In the next moment, he was hanging upside down, arms dangling to the ground.

"I thought you were a Pixis, not a pile of cow shit, next!" Shadis yelled as Mason was lowered down.

"You did good," James said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Lot harder than it looks, ain't it?" Desmond looked around at the other recruits trying out the cables. His eyes landed on a girl who was floundering around on the apparatus, surrounded by other women trying to help her. She had plain brown eyes and brown hair tied into a ponytail. Pretty face, _gorgeous_ figure.

"Hey Connie," Desmond nudged him and pointed towards the girls. "Who's the lass over there?"

"They're all cuties, aren't they?" Connie gave him a toothy grin, as if he were a shark. "You know Mikasa and Annie, the short blondie who's adorable is Krista, and the black haired quiet one is Ymir!"

"What about the one in the harness, brown hair, ponytail?" Upon recognising her, Connie started snickering at the sight of her.

"Potato Girl? She's hilarious!" Desmond remembered the events of the welcoming briefing that had dubbed the girl to be called 'Potato Girl'. Desmond couldn't quite remember her name, for all the good his mind was.

"She seems to be struggling." Desmond mumbled, looking at her with interest. As he approached her, Mikasa nodded to him.

"Eren's not doing too well." She said, almost whispering.

"Yeah, it's not easy." Desmond agreed, glancing over at Armin try to calm his fuming friend. "How you finding it, Krista?"

"Alright, thanks!" the blonde beauty smiled at him. "It's kinda fun once you get the hang of it!" Ymir stood quietly behind her friend, looking at Desmond with disapproval.

"It isn't easy, I'll-" Ponytail girl screamed as she fell from the harness and face planted into the dirt. "admit…" Desmond helped the girl up and she dusted herself off.

"Thanks," she panted, rubbing her strained midriff. The girl had a strange accent, hinting that she came from the countryside. "Name's Sasha, how you finding this cable thing?"

"Pretty hard, but let me show you a trick I learnt from Armin…"

* * *

"Man, my shoulders are killing me…" James groaned, laying face flat on the desk. "Mas, gimmie a massage, will ya?" Mason got up, telling his brother off for trying to show Thomas a flip.

"'Tenchun!" a voice rumbled at the door, Shadis stood there with another instructor, and a man Desmond had never seen before. On his jacket sat an icon that he'd only seen a few times before. It was a shield, cut into four segments. He worked for the Generalissimo.

"These are the three?" the man asked, watching two of them stand to attention and salute, and the third still laying face down on the table.

"Get your arse up Pixis, before I ram my boot up there so far you won't be able to sit down!" Shadis roared, coercing James to get up and stand with his brothers.

"My name's Alex, I'm a secretariat for the Generalissimo," the man said. "You must be the Pixis brothers. Dot wasn't lying when he said about how similar you all looked!"

"You three will now be working for him." Shadis announced, much to their surprise. "You will receive the same wages as a member of the Engineers Guild, as well as a bonus for everything you invent."

"May I have a look around?" Alex invited himself in anyway, browsing over their work, or what could be called work. Dismantled ODM gear, shattered blades and a few books were what they had to show for their work over the last month. "What's this?" the secretariat looked at a map of the three Walls and all the lands within them. Several dots had been painted on, as well as a maze of connecting squiggles.

"That's just something that Mason come up with," James answered.

"I-it's nothing really!" Mason immediately tried to bundle up the map in his arms, but Desmond was faster, snatching it up and presenting it to the two teachers.

"It's a plan of how we can reduce casualties when the titans break through Wall Rose and Sina." Desmond explained while James held his twin back. "The main reason that humanity lost so many people when Wall Maria fell was because there was no one to tell all the towns and villages."  
"Interesting," Alex nodded in thought. "What do these dots and lines mean?"

"Each dot is a watch house, a barracks if you will. The red lines are the routes that the soldiers garrisoned there will take to go to all of the towns in the area." Alex started at Trost, his finger training up the red lines. At every dot they branched of into several directions, the interlocking web spreading far and wide.

"You'd need to have either the Military Police or the Garrison Regiment do the runs," Shadis grunted, looking disinterested. "What do you think, Secretariat?" The man was silent, eyes darting to and fro.

"Gentleman, you've just saved millions of lives." Desmond smiled, proud of his brothers.

"This is amazing!" James laughed. "We've actually invented something!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it inventing something," Mason mumbled, smiling meekly.

"I shall take it before the government for examination," Secretariat Alex explained. "Upon approval, you will receive payment into your family bank accounts."

"Give half of my share to the Scouting Legion," Desmond ordered, much to the surprise of all in presence.  
"…Are you sure?" Alex asked, clearly perplexed.

"I'm certain." With all said and done, the secretariat and chief instructor left the brothers to their work.

"Desmond!" James barked. "Why the hell did you just give your money away? We needed it!"

"No we do not," Desmond replied, sitting in a chair and opening a book. "We almost have _too_ much money! With father's fortune, the steady wage Seamus earns as head of the Trost Garrison, and what we earn, there's too much money! It needs to be used for good."

"By wasting it on the Scouting Legion?" Mason asked, folding his arms. "I don't understand why."

"To make an impression."

"A what?" James grunted, picking up a sword and swinging it around.

"An impression. If we help Commander Erwin Smith, he'll repay us when it's time to. Plus, the Survey Corps-"

"Scouting Legion," Mason corrected.

"I thought it was just the Scouts?" James asked.

" _Anyway,_ " Desmond sighed. "They need all the help they can get. Besides, I want to make a good impression if I'm going to join!"

"Hey Desmond!" Eren shouted from the door. "Jean and Connie broke the water filtration system again! Can you fix it?"

"Let me take a look!" The older brother nodded, grabbing a bundle of tools from the table and following him. The twins looked at each other, not saying a word. Even so, they both spoke the same thing.

 _We cannot let Desmond join the Scouts. We have to stop him._


End file.
